A promised £100 million cash boost to tackle knife crime is “nowhere near enough”, the chairman of the Police Federation has warned.
John Apter claimed the fund, which was announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his Spring Statement, would help only as a “short-term fix”.
He said the extra government money has “got to be welcomed” but added that the figure falls short of what is needed for a solution.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Apter said: “This is a drop in the ocean when it comes to money that's not only been stripped from policing, but other budgets, the social services budget, the education budget, and this is dealing with a crisis so yes, it's going to help a little bit, but it's not enough."
The fund announced by Mr Hammond falls short of the £200m to £300m requested by police chiefs earlier this month.
The money allocated is for one year, with a longer-term funding settlement for forces expected to form part of the Spending Review.
Mr Apter’s remarks are the latest made by top officers and campaigners amid a heated debate over spiralling knife violence on the UK’s streets.
Funding to police forces comes from central government and council tax.
According to the National Audit Office, It fell by 19 per cent in real terms between 2010-11 and 2018-19.
Police officer numbers have fallen by around 20,000 since 2010.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the £100m fund will target the “hardest hit” areas.
Following the announcement of the fund, he tweeted: "It's vital police have the resources they need to crack down on the rising levels of knife crime.
"I've listened and we will be giving £100m extra to forces, targeting the hardest hit areas. I'll continue to give police the support they need."
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